When Time Passes
by rantingsocks
Summary: WIP. Atem slowly realizes he cannot age, and loses Yugi in the process of it. Puzzleshipping, angst. Constructive Critiques wanted/encouraged.
1. Chapter 1 When Everything Was Perfect

The first thing Atem did upon realizing he had his own body was hold Yugi for the longest time. Yugi seemed confused, but let him hug him anyway.

..

Yugi gradually accepted that his Yami was no longer see-through. He eventually became accustomed to Atem's warm hand that often wandered to the small of his back or to lightly touch his own hand. It became a fact of life, much like the fact that he had another person inside him just a few months before.

..

Soon, Atem became pretty familiar with the modern world. Yugi no longer had to walk him through things, except on a few occasions. Yugi hardly minded, but he found himself relieved when Atem learned how to properly use the oven.


	2. Chapter 2 Upwards and Downwards

The first time Atem kissed him was after he questioned Yugi on what the purpose of mistletoe on Christmas was. Yugi wasn't so much surprised at that (apparently subtlety wasn't required of a Pharaoh in Egypt) so much as that he had let him. And that he let him do it again.

..

The first time Atem noticed that Yugi seemed to be growing older was when Yugi's voice seemed to drop half an octave one day. Yugi was thrilled, seeing this as him "finally" being a man. Atem congratulated him as Yugi strutted around like a peacock, testing his newfound voice.

..

Twenty-one came sooner than he realized it. Atem was now shorter than him, to the endless delight of Yugi. He would pick him up and give him eskimo-kisses in a borderline-mocking way. Atem tried to be happy for him, but he could not shake the sinking feeling in his stomach when he laid down in bed at night.

..

He was twenty-nine when gay marriage became legal in Japan. Yugi hinted at wanting to get married all the time, but Atem was doubtful that they could. He had no birth papers, he technically didn't exist in the eyes of the law. After a year of bothering him about it, Yugi stopped hinting.


	3. Chapter 3 Distance

Atem knew something was terribly off when he saw Yugi's first gray hair. He let out a garbled shriek when he saw it, and without warning, pawed through Yugi's hair, praying he imagined it. He didn't.

…

Even then, Yugi noticed it. Strangers started to notice. A friend from middle school, a blond woman with laugh lines and crow's feet, asked Yugi if Atem was his son. Atem did not sleep that night, and Yugi looked on sympathetically, rubbing his lovers' back gently. He couldn't find the comforting words no matter how desperately he sought them.

…

Atem noticed after a while that Yugi had stopped returning his affections. Earlier, he would have chalked that up to them being comfortable together, not requiring much romance in their relationship- but somehow, this was different. As Yugi made to leave for work, Atem leaned in to kiss him. Yugi froze at his touch, silent, then closed the door behind him. Atem stared at the door for a long moment, stunned. Yugi did not come home that night, and he did not answer his phone.


	4. Chapter 4 The Walk

Atem knew it was over when Yugi brought her home. Atem had thought Yugi was seeing her- Yugi came home less and less, and it had been at least a year since Atem and him had been intimate- but he was unprepared for this. She was nice enough- a happy-looking, black-haired businesswoman with a strange accent and a shy smile. Atem watched them from the kitchen as Yugi showed her pictures of him and his grandfather. He cleared his throat and offered them some tea. Yugi didn't meet his eyes, but his voice was steady as he replied that that would be lovely. As Atem turned his back to them and went to retrieve the kettle, he faintly heard her voice asking Yugi who he was, and Yugi's reply. A cousin, on his mother's side.

…

Atem did not yell or cry when Yugi requested he move out. Atem had saved most of the money he earned from working- Yugi knew he had enough to make it on his own. Atem accepted. Yugi had never formally ended their relationship, but he didn't have to. It became fairly obvious Atem was no longer welcome when he walked in on Yugi and his fiancée working with their wedding planner last Wednesday.

…


	5. Chapter 5 The Years

_A/N: Thank you for the reviews! I have only written one fanfiction before, but I have been writing original work since I was about 11. This was meant to be a silly, personal fic but I'm glad that so many people like it/have added it to their alerts. Just a note: this is not going to end with them together and happy. As much as it is painful to write my favorite pairing falling apart, I so rarely see it in fanfiction, so I am determined to pull it off this way. I don't feel that the way I write is exceptional or original, but I am glad this story is unique enough to be interesting to others. - Billie_

It was about six years since the last time Yugi called. He sounded happy. He babbled about his life, and Atem listened. He cooked his lunch for tomorrow while they conversed. He gazed up at the clock. He had work in the morning. Atem sighed and said he really should get going. Yugi chirped a 'talk to you later, then!'. Atem smiled and mimicked him. That wasn't true, and they both knew it.

…

Atem had heard of cancer before, but didn't understand it. As far as he knew, when he was a boy, magic took young men and women before their time. It was odd that now they had a name for it, knew what it was caused by, yet doctors were as powerless in the face of it as the shamans who stood over his mother when she could not eat anymore so long ago. Atem counted in his head. Yugi would be fourty-six now. As Yugi's crying wife spoke to the only "family" she knew Yugi had, he whispered comforting words that were meaningless. He would be fine, he could beat it, Yugi would never give up. She thanked him, apologizing for never visiting, and that Atem was welcome in her household anytime.

….


End file.
